Percolator strapper machine



Feb. 27, 1940.

J. w. R055 El l.

PERCQLATQR STRAPPER MACHINE Filed-Dec. 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ulitmmew Feb. 27, 1940. J. w. R085 ET AL I PERCOLATOR STRAPPER MACHINE FiledD90. 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 swucmkomd/ cfameo' Wfi'osm ,WQVZCJSL.Closbe Feb. 27, 1940. oss ET AL 2,192,106

PERCOLATOR STRAPPER MACHINE ru d Dec. 8'. 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet sgnvcn'fo'pd Jammi- W Kass 3m rm Feb. 27, 1940. w, 055 ET AL 2,192,105

PERCOLATOR STRAPFER MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA Feb. 27, I940. J. w. R055 51' AL PERCCLATOR STRAPPERMACHINE s Sheets-She et 5 Filed Dec 8, 1937 Jame? 71 1 2066 fiancw Z.CPwbz'e Patented Feb. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCOLATOR STRAPPER MACHINE James W. Ross and Francis L. Crosbie,Washington, Pa., assignors to Hazel-Atlas Glass Com pany, Wheeling, W.Va., a corporation of West a Virginia Application December 8, 1937,Serial No. 178,832

18 Claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide.

means for automatically delivering the metal straps to the strapperblocks.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for centering thestraps with respect to the glass top.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automaticallystopping the machine in case one of the glass tops is improperlypositioned in a strapper block, or if the operators hand should be indanger of passing under the clamp-down plate, etc.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom. the following I description, when taken in connection with'theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view thereof.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device for feeding the metalstraps to the strapper blocks.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the feeder.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of the feeder, taken on line 5-5of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional View of one of the strapper blocks with a metalstrap positioned therein.

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional view of the machine, with variousparts omitted for the sake of clearness.

Figure 8 is a detail horizontal sectional view, taken on line 8--8 ofFigure '7.

Figure 9 is an elevational View of the machine, mainly illustrating thedriving mechanism.

Figure 10 is a detail plan view of one of the strapper blocks.

Figure 11 is a detail view of one of the strapper blocks, illustratinghow the straps are centered.

Figure 12 is a detail view of a strapper block and the associated pullarms; and

Figure 13 is a plan view of the machine, largely diagrammatic, andillustrating various steps in the operation.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, nu-

-' meral l indicates a stationary base plate supported by pedestals 2. Amotor 3, through a flexible shaft 4, a reduction gearing 5 and acoupling 6, continuously rotates the main shaft 1 of the machine. in abearing 8 carried. by the base plate I.

The table 9, which carries the strapper blocks, is continuously rotatedby the shaft 1. And of course the speed can be varied as desired bymeans of a rheostat (not shown). In the specific embodiment illustratedthere is a friction connection between the table and the shaft. For

this purpose, a portion Ill of the shaft is squared just above thesurface of the table, as shown in Figure 7. A disc II is mounted onthesquared portion, and fibre washers are preferably provided above andbelow the disc. A coil spring I2 is mounted on the upper end of theshaft, between nuts l3 and the disc H. The pressure on thespring can bevaried by adjusting the nuts.

Mounted on the table S is any desired number of strapper blocks I4;there being thirteen 'illustrated. An opening i5 is provided in thetable for each block, and the blocks are fitted over these openings. Ofcourse the blocks can be secured to the table, and adjusted thereon byany desired means. In the present embodiment, each block isprovided'with a flanged portion 16 at its base. Clamp plates I! arearranged between the blocks, and rest on the flanges of the blocks. Eachclamp plate has two openings. Through one of these openings projects'afinger which operates the strap feeding device, which will be describedhereinafter; and a bolt l8 passes through the other opening and isthreaded into the table. The strapper blocks can be adjustedcircumferentially, or. otherwise, and. position by screwing then beclamped in fixed down the bolts l8. All of the strapper blocks andassociated parts are identical in construction, and one of these unitswill now be described.

The upper portion of the block is cupped out to receive an invertedpercolator top l9 and a metal strap 20. At diametrically opposite pointsthe block is provided with grooves or channels 2| which extend from thetop to the bottom of the block. The upper portions of these channelsopen into the interior of the block. Each percolator strap 20 consistsof a central portion 22 provided with an opening 23 through whichprojects the knob 24 on the glass percolator top [9, and two straps 25which extend outwardly, in opposite directions, from the central portion22. These straps extend through the open upper portions of the channels2|, as shown in Figure 6 This main shaft is mounted and elsewhere. Thestraps, when delivered to the strapper blocks, are provided with grooves26, which are adapted to fit about the bead 21 on the percolator top.

The central portion of the block is bored out, and slidably mountedtherein is a centering member 28, best illustrated in Figures 6, 11 and12. The bore is closed by a plug 29, and between the plug and thecentering member is a coil spring 30, which normally holds the center,-ing member in elevated position, but permits it to be lowered when underpressure. The centering member is provided with an upwardly extendingcentering ring 3!, and when the member is in elevated position thecentering ring projects into the bowl or cupped out portion of thestrapper block. This position of the centering member is illustrated inFigures 6 and 11, and the member in lowered position is shown in Figure12. The head of the plug 29 is received in the opening l5 of the table9.

The straps 2!) may be delivered to the blocks by hand, but they arepreferably delivered by an au-- tomatic feeder, to be describedhereinafter.

When a strap is delivered to a block, it may correctly center itself, asshown in Figure 6, with the centering ring 3! extending upwardly throughthe opening 23 in the strap. But some straps may not correctly positionthemselves when, dropped into the blocks, and in that event the strapsare properly centered when the percolator top is dropped into the block,as illustrated in Figure 11. The percolator tops may be dropped into theblocks by hand or by machine. Assuming a strap is off center in a block,as shown in Figure 11, then when a percolator top is dropped into theblock the knob 2t of the top will engage the edge of the opening 23 inthe strap, and as the top continues to move downward the strap will bemoved over until the opening 23 aligns with the centering ring 3|, andthe strap then drops down into the correct position shown in Figure 6.Of course it will be understood that the conventional percolator top isprovided with the tapered knob 24, and it is this taper which causes thestrap to move over to centered position.

When the percolator top is positioned in the block the knob 24 fits intothe centering member, but the top is in slightly elevated position,because the centering member is in elevated position. At the propermoment the percolator top and the centering member will be moveddownward, to clamp the top and strap together, before the operation ofshaping the strap is started. The means for moving the top and centeringmember downward, will now be described.

Numeral 32 indicates a bracket which is mounted on and extends upwardlyfrom the base plate I. A cross-arm 33 on the bracket carries twovertical pins 33. The lower ends of these pins are countersunk in apresser plate 35, and a coil spring 36 is mounted on each pin betweenthe presser plate and the cross-arm. The lower limit.

of movement of the presser plate can be adjusted by the nuts 31. Byreference to Figure 1, it will be noted that the forward or right handend of the presser plate is formedwith a downwardly inclined bevel, asindicated by numeral 38.

The straps and tops having been delivered to the strapper blocks, thecontinued rotation of the table, in the direction of the arrow in Figure1, carries the blocks under the presser plate, and this plate will forcethe percolator tops and centering members downward to the position shownin Figure 12. When the parts are in this position the percolator top andstrap are clamped tightly against the block, and thus the parts arefirmly held in position while the strap is being shaped.

The parts are held in this clamped condition, by the presser plate,while all of the shaping operations are being performed, and when theoperations have been completed the continued rotation of the tablecarries the block free of the presser plate, and the centering member.is then T moved upwardly by the coil spring 39. This upl- -ward movementof the centering member lifts position so that the completed percolatortop to the shown at the left hand side of Figure '1',

it can be readily removed by hand or by machine.

Before describing the apparatus for shaping the straps to the percolatortops, we shall describe a safety device which may be employed inconjunction with the presser plate.

If a percolator top should happen to be canted in one of the strapperblocks, the machine might be damagedwhen the block passed under thepresser plate 35. Or, in placing the percolator tops inthe blocks byhand, the operator might be slow in removing his hand. To avoid anypossible injury to the operator or to the machine, a shoe 39 ispivotally attached to the forward end of the presser plate 35. Numeral4B refers to a bracket extending-upwardly from the presser plate, andpivotally mounted on the bracket is a lever 41. The lower end of thelever is normally latched to an upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 42of the shoe 3!), as

A spring 43 has one end attached to the lever, and the other endattached to the casing 44 of a safety switch. This spring tends to movethe lever to the left (Fig. l) but such movement is normally preventedby the interlocking relation between the lever and the arm 42, asindicated by numeral 45. If a canted percolator top, an operators hand,or other obstruction, passes clearly shown in Fig- 7 under the shoe 3%,the latter will be tilted up- Wardly, thereby releasing the latch $5,and permitting the spring 43 to swing the lever to the left (Fig. 1).

A connecting rod 46 has one end pivotally attached to'the lever, and itsopposite end is provided with a slot 47 which receives the upward ingextending switch finger Q8. The parts are shown in Figure. 1 in theiroperative position; the switch finger being in its on position. Anelectric line 49 leads from an appropriate source of power to the safetyswitch M, and a line 50 leads from the safety switch through the mainswitch 5| to the motor 3. Thus when the shoe 39 is tilted upwardly, thelever is moved to the left by the spring 43, and the connecting rod 46throws the switch finger 48 to the left or o position, instantlystopping the machine and preventing any injury to the machineo-roperator. Movement of the lever and connecting rod to the left islimited by a lug 52 on the connecting rod, which is adapted to engage abracket on. the safety switch casing. When the obstructionhas beenremoved, the lever M is moved to the thereby throwing the switch fingerto the right to start the machine, and returning the various parts tothe positions shown in Figure 1.

While the safety device described above is very desirable, yet it is tobe understood that the present invention is not limited to use with thissafety device or any safety device.

The straps and percolator tops having been right,

Pr s P e d. the ere lat f ti s are t we downward to firmly clamp thepercolator tops and the central portions of the straps against theblocks, as hereinbefore described. The presser plate holds the parts inthis clamped position throughout the shaping of the straps, which willnow be described. i

As clearly shown in the drawings, the strap ends 25, having the grooves26, extend outwardly through the upper ends of the channels 2| providedin opposite sides ofthe blocks. The shaping of a strap to a percolatortop is effected by two pull arms 54. Two of these arms are associatedwith each block; the upper ends of the arms riding in the channels 2|,below the strap ends.

The pull arms 54, which extend through slots 54 in the table, arepivotally mounted, intermediate their ends, upon a carriage 55, and thiscarriage is slidably mounted on. a pair of guide rods 56, fixed to andextending downwardly from the table 9. To'prevent undue vibration, etc},the guide rods of each pair have their lower ends connected by a link51, and adjacent pairs of guide rods are connected by a link 58.

The carriage .55 is raised and lowered by a roller 59 which is adaptedto ride on a cam 60; the roller being held down against the cam by acoil spring 56' mounted on a guide rod 56. The pull arms 54, above theirpivots, are connected by a spring 6|, which tends to pull their upperends toward each other, thereby maintaining the uper ends of the armsagainst the base of the channels 2|, as clearly shown at the right handside of Figure '7.

The continuous rotation of the table 9 brings the rollers 59successively into engagement with the cam 60. The roller rides up thecam thereby lifting the carriage 55 and the arms 54 carried thereby. Thespecific shape of the'upper ends of the pull arms, is best illustratedin Figures '7 and 12. They are of a general hook shape, and conformsubstantially to the contour of the percolator top, from the bead 21 tothe edge of the percolator top. The inner face 62 of the hookshapedmembers constitutes a pressing face which normally rest against the baseof the channel 2|.

When the pull arms are moved upwardly, by a roller 59 riding up the cam6|], the pressing faces 62 will bend the strap ends upwardly and pressthem against the percolator top, making them conform to the contourthereof. These faces will ride over the bead 21 and then move inwardlyunder the pressure of spring 6|, thereby causing the grooves 26 in thestrap ends to fit neatly about the bead 21 on the percolator cap. 1

The continued upward movement of the arms 54 brings the lower ends ofthe hooks 63 into alignment with the edge of the percolator cap, and thehook members are now snapped inwardly by the spring 6|, thereby bendingthe strap ends inwardly about the edge of the percolator top; The hookends of the puller arms are now in substantially the position indicatedby the dotted line in Figure 12. The pull arms are then moved downwardlyto bend the strap ends against the inner face of the percolator top, andthen are moved upwardly, outwardly and downwardly, to theoriginal'position. The apparatus for effecting these further movementsof the pull arms will now be described.

The cam 60, at its top, is provided with an abrupt dip or pocket 64.When a carriage roller I ment of the carriage moves the hook endsdownward to the positions shown in full lines in Figure 12;-therebybending the strap ends 25 downwardly and outwardly against the innerface of the percolator top. And as the hook ends conform substantiallyto the shape of the percolator top, it will be apparent that the strapwill be fitted snugly about the percolator top.

The shaping of the strap having been completed, the roller 59 now ridesout of the pocket, thereby elevating the pull arm and releasing the hookends from the percolator top. Slide blocks 65 are mounted on the lowerends of the pull arms, and just after the hook ends have been released,these slide blocks engage cams 66 and 61, best shown in Figures 7 and 8.These cams cause the hookends to be swung outwardly to the positionshown by dotted linesin Figure 7.

The ends are held outwardly by the cams 66 and 61 while the rotation ofthe table continues, and the roller 59 now rides down and off the camiii), thereby lowering the pull arms. And when the arms have beenlowered the slide blocks ride free of the cams 56 and 61, whereupon thespring strap shaped and united thereto, has moved from under the presserplate 35, whereupon the spring 30 beneath the centering member 28 raisesthe percolator top to the position shown at the left i Figure '7, sothat the completed top can be readily removed by hand or machine.

The strapper block is now ready to receive another strap and thenanother top, and the operation is repeated. While we have described theoperation of one unit, there are as many units as desired on the table,thirteen in the present instance, and the operation of all of the unitsis continuous.

The straps are preferably delivered to the strapper blocksautomatically, and an automatic feeder for-this purpose will now bedescribed. It is to be understood, however, that the present inventionis not limited to use with this feeder or with any feeder.

Referring particularly to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, a bracket 68 extendsupwardly from the base plate and this bracket supports the mechanism forfeeding the straps. A plate 69, provided with guides 19 at its ends, ismounted on the bracket 58, and extending upwardly from this plate arefour spaced rods 1|, which form a cage or reservoir for a supply of thepercolator straps. A plate 12 is mounted on the upper ends of theserods, and the plate is provided with an opening 13, of substantially theshape of the straps. A supply of the straps is dropped through thisopening, and ribs 15 extending inwardly from the ends of the plate 69,assist in aligning the straps. The plate 69 is provided with an openingsimilar to the opening 13, and a shutter 15, having its central portioncut away, as indicated by numeral 16, is adapted to reciprocate in theguides 10. The shutter is provided with two The roller drops into the ipairs of oppositely disposed fingers 11 and 18, I

plane of the fingers 18.

the right (Fig. 3).

Assuming the strap I ends 25 of a percolator strap are resting on thefingers 18, as best shown in Figure 5, and the shutter and fingers aremoving to the left, then the continued movement of the shutter andfingers 18 will release a strap and permit it to be dropped into astrapper block beneath it. But in the meantime the fingers l! havepassed beneath the next strap to prevent it,

from dropping. The shutter is now moved to the right (Fig. 5), whereuponthe strap supported by the fingers Tl drops onto the fingers 18, andwhen the shutter is again moved to the left the strap will drop into thestrapper block beneath it. Thus a strap is delivered to a block M everytime the shutter 15 is moved to the left.

Any desired means may be employed for reciprocating the shutter in timedrelation with the movement of the continuously rotating table 9 carryingthe strapper blocks. In the present embodiment of the invention abracket 19 is attached to the rods H, and a lever has its upper endpivotally connected to the bracket. A link 8| has one end attached tothe shutter and its other end attached to the lever. A spring 82normally maintains the lever and the shutter in their position to A pin83 extending upwardly from the table 9, is associated with each strapperblock, in advance thereof. These pins successively engage the lower end84 of the lever 80, and move it and the shutter to the left, to therebydeliver a strap to the properly aligned strapper block. When the lowerend of the lever is free of a pin, the spring 82 snaps the lever andshutter back to their normal position, with the lower end of the leverin position to be engaged by the next arriving pin 83.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that we have devisedan automatic machine for assembling and centering the parts formingpercolator tops, for shaping the straps to the contour of the glasstops, and uniting the parts. It will also be apparent that the machinecan efficiently perform the several operations at a high rate of speed,and without possible injury to the machine or operator.

Having fully described the invention, what we claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatable table,a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unit including astrapper block adapted to receive a percolator top and a strap, a pairof shaping arms, means for moving said arms upwardly along thepercolator top to shape the strap to-the contour of the top, and meansfor moving the arms inwardly to bend the strap ends inwardly across theedge of the percolator top.

2. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatable table,a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unit including astrapper block adapted to receive a percolator top and a strap, a pairof shaping arms, means for moving said arms inwardly to bend the strapends inwardly across the edge of the percolator top, and means formoving the arms downwardly to press the strap ends against the interiorface of the percolator top.

3. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatable table,a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unit including astrapper block adapted to receive a percolator top and a strap, a pairof shaping arms, means for moving said arms upwardly along thepercolator top to shape the strap to the contour of the top, means formoving the arms inwardly to bend the strap endsinwardly across the edgeof the percolator top, and means for moving the arms downwardly topressthe strap ends against the interior face of the percolator top.

4. An apparatus of the character described, in-' cluding a rotatabletable, a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unitincluding a strapper block adapted to receive a percolator top and astrap, and a pair-of, shaping arms, the operative ends of said armshaving substantially the'contour of the percolator top, and means formoving said arms to engage the strap and shape it to the contour of thepercolator top.

5. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatable table,a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unit including astrapper block adapted to receive a percolator top and a strap, and apair of shaping arms for engaging the strap and shaping it to the contour of the percolator top, and means for operating each pair of shapingarms in sequence.

6. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatable table,a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unit including astrapper block adapted 'to receive a percolator top and a. strap, and apair of shaping arms,

means for moving said arms upwardly, inwardly and downwardly to shapeand unite the strap to the percolator top, and means for moving the armsupwardly, outwardly and downwardly after the shaping and unitingoperation.

7. An apparatus of the character described, in-

cluding a rotatable table, a plurality of strapper blocks mounted on thetable, each block adapted,

to receive a strap, a centering member mounted for vertical slidingmovement in each of the blocks and adapted to receivethe knob of apercolator top, a spring normally holding the centering member in upperposition, and a presser plateengaging percolator tops in the blocks andmoving the tops and centering members downward to clamp togetherthestrap and percolator top, and

means for shaping the straps to the contour of the tops while they arein the downward position.

8. An apparatus of the character described, in-

cluding a rotatable table, a plurality o'f'strapper blocks mounted onthe table, each block adapted to receive a percolator top and a strap,means for moving the tops downward in the blocks to.

blocks mounted on the table and adapted to re-- ceive percolator topsand straps, a presser plate under which the blocks travel, said platecausing the straps and percolator tops to be clamped together, means forshaping the straps to the contour of the percolator tops, and means inadvance of the presser plate for stopping the rotation of the table whensaid means is engaged by an obstruction.

10. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatabletable, a motor continuously rotating the table, a plurality of strapperblocks mounted on the table and adapted to receive percolator tops andstraps, a presser plate under which the blocks travel, said platecausing the straps and percolator tops to be clamped to gether, meansfor shaping the straps to the contour of the percolator tops, a shoepivotally- 75x fixing straps upon percolator tops, the percolator topsbeing constructed with knobs and the straps being formed with openingsdesigned to receive such knobs, said apparatus comprising'a strapperblock adapted to receive a strap and a percolator top in the order namedwith the knob of the percolator top extending through the opening in thestrap, and a centering ring located centrally of the strapper blockdesigned to serve as a guide for the knob on the top and to effectcentering of an off-center strap as a result of engagement of the knobof, the percolator top with the edge of the opening in the strap.

12. An, apparatus of the character described for aflixing straps uponthe percolator tops, the percolator tops being constructed with knobsand the straps being formed with openings to receive the knobs, saidapparatus, including a plurality of movable strapper blocks, each blockadapted to receive a strap and a percolator top in the order namedwiththe knob of the percolator top extending through the opening in thestrap, the end portions of the strap projecting beyond the percolatortop and block, and means movable upwardly and inwardly for engaging theprojecting end portions of the strap and shaping the strap to thecontour of the percolator top.

13. An apparatus of. the character described for aifixing straps uponthe percolator tops, the percolator tops being constructed with knobsand the straps being formed with openings to receive the knobs, saidapparatus, including a plurality of movable strapper blocks, means forcontinuously moving said blocks, each block adapted to receive a strapand a percolator top in the order named with the knob of the percolatortop extending through the opening in the strap, the end portions of thestrap projecting beyond the percolator top and block, and means movableupwardly and inwardly for engaging the projecting end portions of thestrap and shaping the strap to the contour of the percolator top.

14. An apparatus of the character described for afiixing straps upon thepercolator tops, the percolator tops being constructed with knobs andthe straps being formed with openings to receive the knobs, saidapparatus, including a rotatable table, a plurality of strapper blocksmounted on the table, each block adapted to receive a strap and apercolator top in the order named with the knob of the percolator topextending through the opening in the strap, the end portions of thestrap projecting beyond the percolator top and block, means movableupwardly and inwardly for engaging the projecting end portions of thestrap and shaping the strap to the contour of the percolator top, andmeans for rotating the table.

15. An apparatus of the character described for affixing straps upon thepercolator tops, the percolator tops being constructed with knobs andthe straps being formed with openings to receive the knobs, saidapparatus, including a continuously rotating table, a plurality ofstrapper blocks mounted on the table, each block adapted to receive astrap and a percolator top in the order named with the knob of. thepercolator top eX- tending through the opening in the strap, the endportions of the strap projecting beyond the percolator top and block,means movable upwardly and inwardly for engaging the projecting endportions of the strap and shaping the strap to the contour of thepercolator top, and means for continuously rotating the table.

16. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatabletable, a plurality of shaping units mounted on the table, each unitincluding a strapper block adapted to receive a strap and.

a percolator top in the order named, the end portions of the strapprojecting beyond the percolator top and block, a pair of shaping arms,and means for moving the arms along the outside of the blocks forengaging theprojecting end portions of the strap and shaping the strapto the contour of the percolator top.

17. An apparatus of the character described, including a rotatabletable, a plurality of strapper blocks mounted on the table, each blockadapted to receive a strap and a percolator top in the order named, theend portions of the strap projecting beyond the percolator top andblock, a pair of arms associated with each block, means for moving thearms upwardly outside of, the block for engaging the projecting endportions of the block and shaping the strap to the contour of thepercolator top, and means for automatically feeding a strap to eachstrapper block with the end portions of the strap in substantiallyvertical alignment with the said arms.

18. An apparatus of the character described,

including a rotatable table, a plurality of strapper blocks mounted onthe table, each block adapted to receive a strap and a percolator top inthe order named, the end portions of the strap projecting beyond thepercolator top and block, a pair of arms associated with each block,means for moving the arms upwardly outside of the block for engaging theprojecting end portions of the block and shaping the strap to thecontour of the percolator 'top, means for feeding a strap to eachstrapper block with the end portions of thestrap in substantiallyvertical alignment with the said arms, and a pin in advance of eachblock for operating the feeding means as its block JAMES W. ROSS.FRANCIS L. CROSBIE.

